While Sunderland's Irish World Cup stars patiently waited to catch a flight home from Tehran on Thursday night, their colleagues from Leeds were already airborne aboard a luxury private jet chartered by Peter Ridsdale.

The two clubs' Lansdowne Road legends were reunited at the Stadium of Light yesterday afternoon.

But this time it was David O'Leary's Premiership high-flyers who struggled to get off the ground as the Black Cats finally achieved lift-off.

Unbeaten in the league all season and only knocked off the top-flight's summit by their inactivity on Saturday, Leeds arrived on Wearside fully expecting to march back to pole position with few real problems.

But the visitors had not reckoned on Peter Reid's men putting all their problems behind them in spectacular style to cause an upset which rivalled anything the first round of the FA Cup had to offer.

Second-half goals from Julio Arca and Kevin Phillips set the seal on a determined display from the Black Cats, who will now travel to new leaders Liverpool on Sunday with fresh belief.

It has been a depressing start to the campaign by the Wearsiders. But with Sunderland finally getting their passing game together, the clouds have suddenly lifted from over the Stadium of Light.

Skipper Michael Gray has experienced both the good times and the bad during his 10 seasons at the club but never in that period have expectations been quite this high on Wearside.

Only 16 men have played more times for the Black Cats than the Sunderland-born full-back, making his 350th appearance in a red-and-white shirt.

The 27-year-old was desperate to celebrate that personal milestone by leading his home town club to a morale-boosting win over a Leeds side who had not tasted defeat this season.

And the Wearsiders certainly made the kind of start needed to raise their flagging confidence levels, with Gavin McCann firing wide of Nigel Martyn's goal after just 14 seconds.

Darren Williams went even closer when his header was cleared off the line by Olivier Dacourt, with Leeds still struggling to get their game together.

Reid, who has struggled to find a winning formula this season, sprang one or two surprises in his starting line-up with Williams and Paul Thirlwell both drafted into the action.

Thirlwell replaced Stefan Schwarz while Williams was chosen to deputise for the injury-hit Jody Craddock, with Stanislav Varga dropped from the squad altogether.

Substitute Lilian Laslandes returned to the first-team picture for the first time since October 22, with Thomas Butler on the bench after Kevin Kilbane was injured in training. O'Leary was also forced to dip into his squad, with Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell away on international duty in Australia and Lee Bowyer injured.

Alan Smith was called upon to shrug off his own fitness problems and partner Robbie Keane in attack for the first time, with the 21-year-old keen to outshine Phillips on his home turf. Smith is one of Phillips' biggest rivals for a place in Sven-G&ouml;ran Eriksson's World Cup plans next summer and the Yorkshire terrier was soon in the thick of the action in trademark style.

Sent-off in this fixture last season, Smith got the hot reception he had predicted in the shape of an ugly clash with Emerson Thome.

After challenging for a ball with Smith on the touchline, the Brazilian clearly stepped on the striker's ankle and was fortunate to avoid a sterner punishment than the warning administered by referee Graham Barber.

That incident raised the tempo. And, after a few X-rated tackles from both sets of players, Leeds almost forged ahead.

A perfectly-weighted ball from David Batty sent Keane clear but the #13m-man was denied by Thomas S&oslash;rensen.

The Black Cats' keeper ended the night by picking up a trophy as North East Football Writers' Player of the Year. This smothering save showed why.

Sorensen had to be alert soon after to palm away a Keane cross from under his bar and, with half-time approaching, the Dane held Smith's low shot.

Sunderland had matched the title-chasers throughout the first half yet Reid's men had no reward for their industry. All that was to change two minutes after the restart as the Black Cats finally forced the goal that they deserved.

Dominic Matteo's headed clearance only found McAteer, whose shot was destined for the bottom corner of the net when Martyn dived and parried.

Unfortunately for the Leeds keeper, Arca was ideally placed to bury the rebound and raise the roof of the Stadium of Light.

And Phillips soon piled the agony on his England colleague with a second goal of real class on 55 minutes.

Williams' long cross was chested down by Quinn into the path of Phillips and the striker smashed it first time past Martyn from the edge of the penalty area.

Reid will be hoping for a similar committed display at Anfield when Sunday service resumes this weekend.